Music is a mystery for people who play it, write it, listen to it, and write about it. The only thing I can really do when I try to say something about music is assume.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

A Late Quartet

Look! A mainstream movie (with big actors) called A Late Quartet premiered last night in Toronto. Playing second violin we see Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken is the cellist, Catherine Keener (with her hand in what looks like second position) is the violist, and the first violinist is Mark Ivanir. Here's the trailer.

It looks like these actors spent enough time learning how to hold their instruments and bows to make plausible playing motions (at least left-hand-wise, and in first position, playing open strings). The bow arms are not so great, but I don't think that they would offend the general non-string-player audience member. But the movie is indeed enticing, the instruments are lovely, and you can't beat the soundtrack (the Brentano String Quartet is doing the actual playing).

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I am active as a composer, a violist, a violinist, a recorder player, and as a teacher. I began my professional musical life as a flutist, and spent a lot of quality time as a baroque flutist, but I no longer have my baroque flute. Now my modern flute spends most of its time tucked away in a drawer, while my violin, viola, and my viola d'amore are often tucked under my chin.